"But what do you mean? Weren't Ganjiang and Moye swords from the Spring and Autumn period?"
It was impossible to mistake such famous mythical swords.
Ganjiang and Moye!
Wangliang smiled.
"Yes, you know that old tale?"
"Of course."
According to the "Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue," Ganjiang tried to present a famous sword to the King of Chu as ordered.
The blacksmith Ganjiang knew that he would be executed by the King of Chu for missing the deadline after making Ganjiang and Moye. So, he only presented the female sword Moye to the king and hid the male sword Ganjiang in a pine tree on a rock where the southern mountain could be seen from his house. This was a riddle pointing to a wooden pillar on a foundation stone, and he instructed that when Moye bore a child, the riddle should be solved to find the sword and inform the child of his death. Moye followed his instructions, and her son, Chibi, found the male sword Ganjiang and vowed revenge.
The King of Chu witnessed this scene in a dream and, trembling with unease, issued a wanted notice based on Chibi's face seen in the dream and put a bounty on his head. Chibi, suddenly wanted, could not even enter the village and sang sadly. A passing knight, feeling pity for him, offered to avenge him in exchange for the sword and Chibi's head. Agreeing to this, Chibi stood firm even as he cut his own head off, and only fell when the knight swore to keep his promise.
The knight presented Chibi's head to the King of Chu and said that the head, filled with deep resentment, needed to be boiled for three days. The king did as he was told, but after three days, the head was still not boiled and floated on the water, seemingly alive and ready to jump out of the pot at any moment. The knight suggested that the king should take a look, and as the king leaned over the pot, the knight beheaded him.
The king's severed head fell into the pot, and the knight, surrounded by soldiers, knowing he could not survive, also cut his own head off, which fell into the pot. The ministers hurriedly fished out the heads, but they were all boiled, making it impossible to distinguish which head belonged to whom.
The ministers highly praised Chibi, who sacrificed himself for revenge, and the knight who kept his promise and died, and buried the three heads together, naming the grave "Sanwang Tomb."
This was a famous old tale, one I had heard during my bounty hunter days. During my studies, I learned more details, but it was something that most people in the Central Plains had heard at least once. Therefore, the idea that this Moye sword was made during the Shang Dynasty seemed absurd.
Wangliang said,
"But it's true. To be precise, both are correct."
"What do you mean?"
"It's just that the oral tradition was passed down differently. Moye was indeed made during the Shang Dynasty and passed down, and it was rediscovered by the blacksmith couple Ganjiang and Moye during the Spring and Autumn period. In other words, this sword was not originally made by human hands."
"......"
I was speechless as I looked at Wangliang. Of course, if he said so, it made sense, but it was too absurd. So I asked,
"Do you have any evidence for that?"
"I finished interpreting this oracle bone script in a month. I just spent the time traveling through various mountains and rivers, collecting and investigating ancient texts to see if this hypothesis was correct. As a result, I found evidence."
"What kind of evidence?"
Wangliang went inside and brought out a pile of books. The books, at least a dozen, all smelled of mold. Laying them out on the table, Wangliang said,
"These are books containing the legend of Ganjiang and Moye. They are all valuable authentic texts. And if you look at this legend, you can find a common element, though it varies slightly."
"Common element?"
"The content, 'I placed it in a pine tree on a rock where the southern mountain can be seen from my house.'"
Saying this, Wangliang lowered the sword and continued,
"The rules of this oracle bone script were somewhat different from those in other ancient texts. Perhaps the Shang Dynasty nobility had their own grammar. Rearranging the common sentence in the ancient texts according to that grammar, it pointed to a single character. That character was 'xun' (殉)."
"Xun?"
"Yes. 'Xun' means to be buried with the ruler upon their death. Who would be buried with whom? It's a nice way of saying 'xun,' but it's actually a massacre and a sacrifice."
Wangliang paused for a moment, as if catching his breath, and then continued after fetching cold water from the well to soothe his throat.
"Though people don't know this, the Shang Dynasty was a time when human sacrifices were very prevalent. As a custom of honoring the gods, in fact, this continued even into the time of Confucius. In Confucius' books, there are stories of him prohibiting such rituals, right? Even in his time, the ritual of beheading human slaves and offering them to the gods of heaven and earth continued."
"......"
Human sacrifice.
As soon as I heard the word, I felt a surge of disgust. I had seen such madness several times and knew its cruelty better than anyone. It was a mad feast that treated humans worse than livestock.
"The form of sacrifice was likely to involve capturing slaves or prisoners of other tribes and killing them to offer to the sky. There were as many as twelve methods of killing humans for Shang Dynasty sacrifices."
"Twelve methods...!!"
"Those twelve methods are recorded in the 'Thousand Character Classic,' such as 'peng' (烹), 'min' (民), 'ge' (割), 'zha' (炸), 'zheng' (蒸), 'xun' (燻), 'tang' (湯), and so on. Methods like boiling, frying, cutting, burning, tearing, and drying people. They used human sacrifices without sparing even their own citizens."
I was dumbfounded.
If that were true, the people of the Shang Dynasty were beings even more cruel than humans, weren't they? I said irritably,
"I don't want to hear more. So, what does it mean that the character 'xun' is dangerous?"
"The important part is the connection between the content and this oracle bone script.
[Offering sacrifices to heaven.
Cutting off the head and limbs of a turtle and offering them to heaven.
The gods are pleased.
Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, grant your blessings.
Thus, I received the water of the Seven Luminaries.]
Here, 'turtle' doesn't mean an actual turtle but a human. In other words, a cruel human sacrifice was performed, and as a result, the gods were pleased. These gods are likely the beings we call the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, and this sword symbolizes the sword of water that the gods bestowed as a reward."
"......"
I paused to organize my thoughts after hearing Wangliang's words. Then I said,
"It's hard to believe. Even if this is a secret treasure of the Seven Luminaries, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors are great figures in the history of the Central Plains, aren't they? It doesn't make sense that such beings would be pleased by human sacrifices and bestow treasures."
Wangliang chuckled.
"The Three Sovereigns are Fuxi, Shennong, and Nüwa, and the Five Emperors are the Yellow Emperor, Zhuanxu, Diku, Yao, and Shun. Do you know what they have in common?"
"What is it?"
"They are recorded in human history as merely divine beings, with very little detailed information about their reigns. They are mythical figures. The first rulers to be treated as human kings were King Yu and King Tang."
"What are you trying to say?"
"... The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors might not have been human from the beginning."
"......"
I was speechless.
A god who is pleased by human sacrifices. A being that transcends humans, like a monstrous entity.
It was similar to - the mad scene where a shaman used a village as a sacrifice to birth a monster!
Wangliang held up the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" and said,
"The precious monsters in the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas' might have been real creatures during the Shang Dynasty. The Central Plains thousands of years ago was not the well-organized terrain it is now but a wild continent with dense forests and the emergence of barbarians and monsters. How could humans survive in such a place?
By offering sacrifices and tributes to divine beings like the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, they had to obtain the power to protect themselves. This is the secret treasure of the Seven Luminaries and the driving force that allowed humans to establish their kingdoms in the ancient Shang Dynasty."
"Hmm... You seem confident that this is the Water Luminous Sword Moye. If so, I believe you."
I had no choice but to acknowledge it. A genius scholar like Wangliang, who had spent years searching for evidence and confidently called me, must have had a solid basis. I decided to accept that this sword was the Water Luminous Sword Moye.
Wangliang said,
"I have gained much from studying this Moye for nearly three years. Not only did I learn martial arts, but I also mastered many magical techniques by receiving the supernatural powers hidden in Moye. Moye has the ability to stimulate the upper dantian of a human, making it a treasure for a spellcaster."
"So, if you have Moye, even someone without innate magical talent can learn spells?"
Wangliang nodded at my question.
"Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn't have reached the intermediate level."
"Hmm...!!"
Wangliang sighed.
"My three years of research are now concluded. Now it's my turn to ask you."
"What do you want to know?"
"Who are you? Where did you get this Water Luminous Sword Moye, and what did you intend to use it for?"
Wangliang genuinely seemed curious. After some thought, I decided to be honest with him.
"I am... a reincarnated person."
I had to tell him. The tragedy in Taikyung Village had been avoided, but I also knew that the Jinyiwei was plotting something. I lacked the wisdom to uncover it on my own, so it was better to be honest with Wangliang. Besides, I always felt indebted to him because I had caused his death in the past.
I then frankly told him about the eight times I had been reincarnated and the events involving Wangliang. His expression changed constantly as he listened, something I had never seen before.
"... So, that's how it is."
"......"
"Can you believe my story?"
Wangliang covered his eyes and staggered. Then he said,
"Wait, just a moment. I need to process this. Give me some time."
He lay on the straw mat of the thatched house for a long time, seemingly lost in thought. After a while, he got up, approached me, and said,
"I have no choice but to believe your story. No one else could know so much about the events involving my master and the Tianwujin disciples. Haha... I'm really involved in something incredible."
"I'm sorry for causing your death last time."
Wangliang shrugged.
"Well... Even if you say that, it doesn't feel real. I don't know what I was thinking when I was with you. And wasn't that entirely the result of my decision to follow you? I doubt 'I' thought much about it when I died, other than stepping in something."
"......"
"Hmm... The Tianyan Secret Book and the Wu Ming Sacrificial Book... a shaman from another world and the Jinyiwei... Hmm..."
Wangliang, sitting with his chin in his hand, thought for a long time before speaking.
"So, you were diligently building your strength at the Qinglong Martial Hall to oppose the Jinyiwei Commander, but when you went to Taikyung Village, you found that their influence hadn't reached there?"
"Yes. I was wondering why that was the case."
I asked seriously.
"Could it be because of the Water Luminous Sword Moye?"
"......"
Wangliang glanced at Moye. Then he answered,
"I don't think so. Of course, the heavy rain that occurred when you came to find me was definitely because you removed Moye from its seal."
"Indeed..."
"The Water Luminous Sword Moye had condensed water qi for thousands of years, so it was inevitable that natural disasters would occur... I observed the stars the day before the rain and noticed an unusual movement of the stars."
Wangliang continued,
"But that shaman from another world is likely a grand shaman who can freely perform human sacrifice rituals on a scale of thousands. He wouldn't stop his plans just because one of the Seven Luminaries moved. And if the Jinyiwei didn't follow the shaman, there's only one conclusion."
"What is it?"
"The grand shaman escaped the constraints of time and space. If my master said so, it must be true."
Escaped the constraints of time and space!
Since it was such an unrealistic statement, I was dumbfounded. Wangliang, crossing his arms, elaborated,
"He was likely accumulating human sacrifices in this world to achieve his goals. But when he saw your Tianyan Secret Book, he must have felt something was wrong. His self-destruction was a special spell to extract his soul from this world by abandoning his physical body."
"Is... is that possible?"
"There's no other explanation. The shaman is likely gone, whether in the palace or elsewhere. Without the shaman, the palace couldn't interpret the Wu Ming Sacrificial Book, and they had to cancel the human sacrifice plan."
"......!!"
I felt a mix of surprise and joy.
The shaman can no longer interfere with my reincarnation!
Even if I reincarnate, I don't need to worry about the village's tragedy!
Showing the Tianyan Secret Book to the shaman was a good decision.
As I was about to smile, Wangliang pointed and said,
"It's too early to relax. The Jinyiwei is likely now moving to gather the secret treasures of the Seven Luminaries."
"Hmm...? I thought about that, but I'm not sure."
"Perhaps human sacrifice was just a shortcut to shorten 'time,' and the Jinyiwei likely intended to gather the Seven Luminaries from the beginning. The means are different, but their ultimate goal hasn't changed. If you think about it, you still have a lot to do."
"Hmm."
I became curious.
What is the ultimate goal of the Jinyiwei?
The Jinyiwei Commander mentioned a "second ritual" after increasing the number of monsters through the human sacrifice ritual. He also said that once achieved, the Bai Lian Sect would be no problem. Perhaps they are using the secret treasures of the Seven Luminaries instead of human sacrifices to achieve their goal?
"Right, look at this."
I suddenly remembered and showed him the silver phoenix fragment I obtained from the Hua family in Taikyung Village. Wangliang examined it carefully and said in surprise,
"Is this a relic from Bohai! Where did you get such a precious item?"
"What is Bohai?"
"A very powerful nation of the Dongyi people in the east. This looks like a relic related to the Bohai royal family... Only the royal family could use a phoenix fragment. And it appears to be in the form of a three-legged crow (三足烏)."
Wangliang examined the silver phoenix fragment closely and said,
"A small line is sealed in the crevice. It seems to be designed to be unlocked by a specific incantation in a certain order. This is also an interesting relic."
"Can you interpret it?"
Wangliang chuckled, seemingly amused.
"Hahaha... I understand you're a reincarnated person, but do you really trust me so easily? When you gave me a divine sword that can overturn heaven and earth, I thought you were crazy. Did you never think I might betray you?"
"I did."
I answered calmly.
"But if you betrayed me, I would consider it a good thing. It would help me repay the debt of killing you."
Wangliang seemed momentarily stunned. Then he said dejectedly,
"That's an incredible way of thinking... You've already deviated from being an ordinary human."
"Take it as a compliment."
Wangliang laughed and said,
"Fine. I'll do my best to help you."
"Thank you."
"Once I finish interpreting this silver phoenix fragment, I'll send a message. As a bonus, you can keep the Water Luminous Sword Moye."
"Understood."
If Wangliang's words were true, I could possibly reach the intermediate level by carrying the Water Luminous Sword Moye and learning the Qimen Dunjia technique. The question was whether the level would be passed down after I died, but I decided to think about that later.
Swish
I descended from the Jinlang Valley with Moye in hand. Wangliang's final words echoed in my ears.
[If possible, find the secret treasure of the Fire Luminous, Ganjiang, first. Since Ganjiang and Moye were likely made as a pair by a blacksmith couple, as recorded in history, you could gain immense power by possessing both divine swords.]
I also recalled the words of the Xiantian Daoist.
' The secret treasure of the Fire Luminous contains the power of Emperor Yan Shennong and is said to be at the southern end of the world.'
The southern end of the world.
I had never even considered such a place.
I knew that to the south of the Central Plains, there were barbarians called the Southern Man, but what could be at the very end of the world? The idea of exploring the southern end of the world filled me with excitement.
Swish
I left the Jinlang Valley and headed straight for the Heiye Sect. Now that my curiosity was satisfied and I had entrusted a task to Wangliang, I just needed to complete my master's assignment and return to the Qinglong Martial Hall in peace. It was one of the happiest moments I had had recently.
Swish...
However, when I was about half a day away from Zhaobi Village, where I could entrust the Heiye Sect, I suddenly sensed a powerful aura surrounding me.
'What is this?'
It was a formidable presence, one that could not be underestimated. Realizing that any rash movement could result in a major attack, I drew my sword and calmly gathered my strength.